Dallas

Mary Kay Convention Returns to Support Dallas

As thousands of Mary Kay sales representatives from around the country poured into the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Sunday, many stopped to speak with Dallas Police officers out front; some of the ladies wearing buttons reading “Dallas Strong.”

The annual gathering always brings a big crowd and a lot of attention to North Texas, but this year it comes at a strange time: a bit more than 2 weeks after the ambush attack on police that killed 5 officers just a few blocks up the road.

"We were flooded with calls from our sales force members after that event asking with care and concern about the lives lost here in Dallas,” said Mary Kay Events VP Laura Beitler.

The convention is one of the first major events to come into downtown since that tragedy.

Sharon Miranda, a Mary Kay Rep. from Orlando said she found herself a bit taken back realizing that, after just going through a mass shooting in her hometown that killed 49 weeks before, she was about to travel to the site of another such tragedy.

"I know people that were personally, directly impacted and lost lives; they lost family members and friends,” said Miranda. "I thought about it, I said, ‘oh my God I'm going to Dallas now.’"

Miranda, and many others came to town, though, ready to show their support to the city and all its residents have been through.

The convention is expected to draw nearly 30,000 people during their 2 week run; employing about 2000 people during the event and bringing in an estimated $34 million in economic impacts to the city.

Additionally, company leaders said they hoped to help the city on its path to return to normal and recover from the shooting.

"We just love that we can give back to a city that has given us so much over the years," said Beitler.

Miranda said that made her return to the event a no-brainer this year, and a welcomed get-away after seeing so much hurt in recent weeks.

"We [Mary Kay] love on others, so if this is what Dallas needed at this moment, this seminar just happened in the nick of time,” she said.

The convention runs through August 6th.

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